Women's season in review

Gunnersbury: Women's Premier League champions

Former England player Barbara Daniels looks back at the 2001 women's domestic season and looks at changes in store for next year.

Yorkshire remain the dominant force in the women's game.

Having retained the County Championship in August, they added the under-15 and U19 titles. only to be denied a clean sweep when Kent won the U17 final in convincing fashion last weekend.

Wakefield continued the Yorkshire theme by beating Brighton and Hove in the final of the National Knockout competition at Milton Keynes.

This was a close game distinguished by a well put together 50 from Kathryn Leng, which may have secured her place in the England training squad.

While Brighton and Hove were disappointed, they can look back on unexpected progress this season, in which they were contenders for the South Premier League title.

Melissa Reynard led Yorkshire to the county title

They have always relied on the talents of England captain Clare Connor but this year their many junior players came of age performing consistently.

Kiwi influence

New Zealand World Cup winner Haidee Tiffen has also made a big difference and they will hope she returns next year.

Gunnersbury won the South Premier League and faced North winners North Riding in the League final at Campbell Park.

They had demolished North Riding in the Knockout the previous week, bowling them out for 33.

But the League final was a closer affair, but in a low scoring game Debbie Stock's half century was significant for Gunnersbury.

North Riding missed the experience of the unavailable Sue Metcalfe and struggled against Gunnersbury's slow bowling attack led by Radi Nanalal.

The domestic season has been overshadowed by the margin of England's defeat in the Women's Ashes series.

Australia dominated the Women's Ashes

This has led to much discussion about the standard of domestic competition and whether it helps prepare international cricketers - very similar to the debates going on in the men's game.

In response, the England and Wales Cricket Board look set to make some changes that have been talked about for a number of years.

The most significant of these is an attempt to ensure that the best players play against each other on a more regular basis.

Best v the best

To this end the selectors have identified 48 players, who will be divided into four teams, who will play on eight dates prior to international series.

These names have not yet been published and it is not clear whether they will play in regions or be engineered to produce balanced teams.

This system, at the moment called 'Super 4s', will not mean that players have to miss club matches.

It is important that clubs and counties support the principle and this arrangement should make consensus more likely.

Clubs will also be happy that league games are to be scheduled on Sundays, avoiding the regular battle of finding pitches on Saturdays.

There will also be changes to the county junior structure in 2002 with all junior matches (U15, U17 and U19) taking place on the same day.

Games are to be switched to Sundays

This will prevent players representing more than one age group and potentially playing too much cricket.

It will also stop counties claiming the not insubstantial funding of £1000 per team and essentially using the same group of players across all the age groups.

This will be a controversial move as some counties will not be able to enter all age group competitions.

Overseas experience

There will also be logistical difficulties with pitch requirements on the same day and numbers of volunteers required.

It should however force counties to examine their own developmental needs and enter teams accordingly, rather than just 'trophy hunting'.

These changes will help towards improving standards but significant change will take time.

In the immediate future young, talented players should be encouraged and some supported, to play in Australia or New Zealand for a season.

This would be more beneficial than sending an England junior team on tour to these countries.

More fundamentally there needs to be an increase in the number of clubs playing if we are ever to move towards the more vigorous structures found in Australia.

It is time to press for more Club Development Officers to stimulate that growth. There are currently four funded by Sport England but that is simply not enough.